OT: Discovering Non Alcoholic Beer

[lavi]

Originally Posted by Steve in SLO

I have a few friends who swear by Heineken NA. Thoughts from the group?

I have some friends that like it. Tastes sorta like a Heineken.

I gotta be honest though, in addition to liking the taste of beer, I also like the alcohol. Else, I'd just drink water. To each their own I guess.

But why are the NA beers so dang expensive? Is it because those that want craft NA beers will pay the price? It cannot be that it's a more expensive process.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by lavi

It cannot be that it's a more expensive process.

I read somewhere that most NA beer starts its life as A beer, the alcohol is then removed, and other steps taken to make it more like "real" beer, so the additional steps might make it more expensive.

[pbarry]

Originally Posted by soupless

I've tried them all and this is the best. It kicks Athletic's a$$.

Bought a 6 pack awhile back: Great flavor but watery, and I was a big Lagunitas fan when I was an “real” beer drinker.

The Wellbeing brews: Overpriced, weak flavor, big pass.

Go to NA’s available most places—St Pauli NA and Becks NA. Super cold Coors Edge is great on a hot summer day, if you’re a Banquet fan.

Bootstrap Brewing is local to me, not sure how far their distribution goes, but best NA IPA I’ve tasted. Tech for the NA brewing comes from a company in the Midwest, iirc.

Edit: Brewer’s Magazine calls ABV Bootstrap’s ‘partner’ in their NA brews.

https://thebrewermagazine.com/bootst...november-2020/

[andrew+]

Beck's NA is my favorite. Tastes pretty close to a real pilsner.

[Dead Man]

beer with no booze in it..

that's like cigarettes with no nicotine in em.. wtthfks the point? you like the taste? weird.

beer that isn't making life at least a little easier to live is totally useless to me. i drink 6-8 IPAs a day (unless bros or bad moods get involved, then it's more like 10-15), but would i drink them if they weren't maintaining my preferred constant .08ish BAC all day long?

i'd never thought about it before...

the answer is a straight up nope.

so yea... crazy.... Deadman, huge drinker and self-professed lover of beer, doesn't actually even like beer. what a trip.

<slurps on 4th can o Optimist fer the day>

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by Louis

I read somewhere that most NA beer starts its life as A beer, the alcohol is then removed, and other steps taken to make it more like "real" beer, so the additional steps might make it more expensive.

back when non-alcoholic beers were brand new (or at least seemed that way to me), it was my understanding that the alcohol is distilled out - why waste it?

im sure however it's made, it's different than it was 30 years ago, tho.

[mcfarton]

Thanks everyone I just ordered some of the athletic brews. Excited to try. I have been drinking some of the becks NA and the Lagunitas hop water stuff. I don’t know if I am done drinking or not. But I have been enjoying a few months break. I am starting to wonder when I had the time to drink


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[robin3mj]

I wholeheartedly second the reco for HopTea/Hoplark.
I’ve tried the usual suspects. Athletic, Gruvi etc and all are fine but weak approximations of real beer. HopTea is something slightly to the side it’s own thing. Much preferable as an alternative to beer.

We went to a bbq a few weeks ago and I drove. Brought six HopTeas with me and a four pack of IPA. I never drink more than two beers when we drive anywhere so I had a sequence of beer, NA, beer, then couple more NA and never felt like I was impeding my ability to enjoy the night (nor drive home)

[alancw3]

Two other na beers that are a real value are Clausthaler Dry Hops from Germany and Moritz from Spain. Both are about 1/3 less in price than Wellbeing and Athletic products and offer great taste. Somewhere between the big box brewery product offerings and Athletic and Wellbeing.

[Dave]

Great thread. I'll have to try some of the suggestions. Right now though, it's pumpkin beer season. Try the the Elysian pumpkin pack with four varieties of pumpkin beer. I'm drinking the great pumpkin imperial ale right now 8.4%.

Sam Adam's pumpkin beer mainly tastes like cinnamon and nutmeg.

[GonaSovereign]

[QUOTE=lavi;2991737
But why are the NA beers so dang expensive? Is it because those that want craft NA beers will pay the price? It cannot be that it's a more expensive process.[/QUOTE]

It is absolutely more expensive. NA beer is beer that’s fermented like the usual stuff and then has the alcohol removed. Bad ones use heat to remove it and they taste like garbage. Good ones use more expensive processes that retain flavour, mouth feel and nose.

Short list of NA Beers and my beer snob POV.. (I’ve had plenty of terrible ones, but why talk about those….)

• Clausthaler is the best German NA you’ll find on this side of the Atlantic.
• Heineken and Budweiser NA versions are pretty close to the originals. That’s good or bad depending on your palate. Not to my taste.
• Well Being does some good ones. The farmhouse is nice
• Brew Dog’s Hazy is a favourite.
• Grüvi is a bad name, but the beer is pretty good. More of a Pilsner quality vs pale ale.
• Big Drop: from the UK. The ipa is good, the pale is fine
• Tempest:from the UK. the Sleight of Hand sour is really good!. Good depth and sourness.
• Le Bockale from Quebec is doing some good stuff. I like the Découverte IPA, and the fruit ones are refreshing.
• All the Athletic beers I’ve tried have been really good.
  

[BRad704]

So in a very random occurrence, I got to have an Athletic Brewing Hazy IPA yesterday and I swear if it were in a glass, I wouldn't have known the difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[sokyroadie]

Originally Posted by Dave

Great thread. I'll have to try some of the suggestions. Right now though, it's pumpkin beer season. Try the the Elysian pumpkin pack with four varieties of pumpkin beer. I'm drinking the great pumpkin imperial ale right now 8.4%.

Sam Adam's pumpkin beer mainly tastes like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Pumpkin Ale is a favorite of mine also :

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - 8% ABV is very good
Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin 6.4% ABV - very unique
Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale 4.5% ABV good low alcohol ale
Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale 10% ABV - semi local and very good

I ordered the Wellbeing Pumpkin Ale non alcoholic to try (now sold out)

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by Dead Man

beer that isn't making life at least a little easier to live is totally useless to me. i drink 6-8 IPAs a day (unless bros or bad moods get involved, then it's more like 10-15), but would i drink them if they weren't maintaining my preferred constant .08ish BAC all day long?

Not sure where to start here...perhaps just this - "if you can't face day to day situations without a buzz on, you have a problem."

There are other, healthier ways to address one's challenges without killing your liver, draining your bank account, adding 700-1000 calories per day, etc...

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

you have a problem.

i got 99 problems, but a beer aint one